HARTFORD, Conn. -- Officials from four Big East football
schools approved a lawsuit Monday against Boston College, its
athletic director and four Atlantic Coast Conference officials,
state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.

The suit, to be filed Tuesday in Vernon Superior Court, alleges
that the ACC and Boston College conspired to weaken the Big East.
Boston College announced Sunday that it would follow the University
of Miami and Virginia Tech, which are leaving the Big East to join
the ACC.

"We just got off a conference call," Blumenthal said early
Monday evening. "All the presidents have authorized this
lawsuit."

Connecticut, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and West Virginia already are
suing Miami. A judge last week threw out a case against the ACC on
jurisdictional grounds.

"I suspect the same will happen to those of us who, by virtue
of our rotation, happen to be officers," Ward said. "And I
suspect the people of Connecticut want their attorney general to
chase far more important issues."

The case against the ACC was thrown out because attorneys could
not prove the conference did enough business in Connecticut to
warrant a state suit. By suing the conference directors as
individuals, Big East schools hope they can get around the
jurisdiction issue.

"We are not required to show they are transacting business,"
Blumenthal said. "If they have violated the law and have damaged
Connecticut or its citizens, they can be sued."

Messages seeking comment were left at the homes and offices of
the other school and conference officials. Hugh Keefe, an attorney
who represented the ACC, did not return a page.

Miami and Virginia Tech will join the ACC next year. Boston
College might not change conferences until 2006.

The suit makes several tort claims, including unfair trade
practices, civil conspiracy and breach of contract, Blumenthal
said. As in the suit against Miami, the Big East schools seek
unspecified damages.

The suit singles out DeFilippo for allegedly using his role as a
conference director with Big East to manipulate discussions between
BC, Miami and the ACC, Blumenthal said.

"One of the key reasons that BC and DeFilippo were able to
engage in this secret scheme with Miami and the ACC is that they
had access to sensitive and confidential information from the Big
East and its member schools," Blumenthal said.

He said Boston College's defection strengthened the case.

"The more we learn, the more appalled and astonished we are by
the depth and breadth of the illegality," Blumenthal said.